Conspiracy 365: August

(Conspiracy 365: Book Eight)

by
Gabrielle Lord

Kane Miller, August 2010, 184 pp.
ISBN: 978-1-935279-57-0

Genre: Young Reader
Subgenres: Thriller
Reviewed: 7/30/2010

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Excerpt

7 August

Armitage District Hospital

12:40 am

Through the glass that separated me from outside, the bright lights of the hospital lit up a large circle surrounding the building and the stairs. Just beyond that, half-hidden in the shadows of the night, a line of cops waited. Their distinct silhouettes revealed that they were armed, in position and ready to attack.

For a second I thought about backtracking and finding another exit, but a quick look behind me showed that the cops I'd just passed were on the move--in my direction.

I took another deep breath and stepped outside the doors. I just had to reach the cover of darkness. How? I had no idea.

1:03 am

I pretended to look down at a non-existent watch on my wrist, in the hope that I could pass as an exhausted nurse leaving a late shift. There was a small gap between the line of cops and the reserved parking area, so I made a beeline for it.

I could sense one or two of the officers stirring, looking up to check me out. But it was when I only had a few steps left to go to reach the corner that I walked straight into Kelvin.

Kelvin!

"Look out," he grunted, before sidestepping, and moving on up the stairs, heading back into the hospital. He hadn't recognized me.

I took another step down, preparing to jump and run for it, when I heard Kelvin's roar from just a couple of yards behind me.

"It's you!" he yelled. His footsteps instantly pounded back down the stairs after me.

I deftly jumped aside to dodge his grip as he tried to leap out and tackle me. I shoved him away, and he tumbled down the rest of the steps, crashing into the cops below like a bowling ball hitting the pins. I launched down the last of the steps in one move, propelling myself with the help of the right handrail. A couple of the cops, caught in the collision Kelvin had caused, swung their hands out at my feet as I landed on the concrete. I bolted as fast as I could over and away from them.

They scrambled to their feet, weapons raised, but I'd already made it into the dark.

I ran through the parking lot, ducking and swerving parked cars, leaping over speed bumps.

"Stop, police!" came a voice over a loudspeaker.

Synopsis

Callum "Cal" Ormond awakens to find himself in a coffin. He hears a thud, then another, and realizes that he is being buried alive! Although drugged and tied up, he is about to get his cell phone out of his pocket and give Winter a call. Bogas and Winter find the graveyard where Cal has been buried, but are unable to located him. Realizing that Cal is running out of air, they call the police.

Cal, after passing out in the coffin due to a lack of clean air, awakens in the Armitage District Hospital. The police were able to dig him up before he ran out of breathable air. He is tied to his bed and is awaiting transportation to jail. The police officer, Senior Sergeant Dorian McGrath, Cal is forced to talk to doesn't believe a word Cal says about being hunted by Vulkan Sligo and Oriana de la Force. What McGrath really wants to know is what Cal has done with his sister, Gabbi. Gabbi has been kidnapped and Cal's DNA was found at the scene. Cal tries to convince McGrath that he hasn't been back to his uncles house since January, but the police officer is not buying it. He also doesn't believe Cal when he mentions his possible twin brother, who would have the same DNA as he.

After escaping from the hospital, Cal gets together with Boges and Winter and he tells them about how the private detective, Nelson Sharkey, helped him escape.

At a meeting with Sharkey, the detective says that he will help Cal find his missing sister. Later, Sharkey calls Cal and tells him to visit a woman named Ma Little, a large woman that runs a big, old, tumbledown mansion as a pub and boarding house. Ma runs messages for both side, so Sharkey warns Cal to be careful. Maybe she will know how to get in contact with the kidnappers.

Cal is finally contacted by the kidnappers and Cal tells them that he will give himself over to them and all of his documents on the Ormond Riddle if they let his sister go. Winter redraws all of the pictures that Cal's father drew and changes them slightly. With Boges' help, they come up with a plan to not only get Gabbi back, but to not give the kidnapper's anything they want. The only question is whether the plan will work without getting Cal killed.

Conspiracy 365: August is the eighth thrilling book of twelve in the Conspiracy 365 series written by Gabrielle Lord. This book is intended for young readers 10 and up.

Review

Conspiracy 365: August is hot and heavy with action. From being buried alive, to being held captive in a hospital, Cal continues his struggle to solve the mystery of the Ormond Singularity and Riddle. Slowly but surely, Cal and his friends are piecing together the clues that will either lead to Cal's death or solving the mystery that has been plaguing the Ommond family for centuries.

Once again, Gabrielle Lords weaves a wonderful tale of intrigue and suspense and Cal fights to stay alive. Cal's life is fraught with danger and he is constantly on the run with little help, except for form his friends, Boges and Winter. Now that an adult, Private Eye Sharkey, is on his side, or at least says he is on Cal's side, maybe Cal can start to make a little more headway.

The book, like all the previous seven issues, ends in another cliffhanger. Why, oh why, does Gabrielle Lord have to keep doing this to us? She keeps me sitting on the edge of my seat while I am reading this book and then leaves me hanging on with just my fingertips as my feet dangle over a cliff as I wait for the next book to come out. It always seems like such an eternity until the next book comes out. Thank goodness a new book comes out every month.

Overall, Conspiracy 365: August is an excellent addition to a pretty awesome series that keeps the reader flipping pages late into the night. I will anxiously await the ninth book in this series, Conspiracy 365: September.  Oh, man, that means school will be starting again by the time the next book comes out. Bummer.

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.